The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1887-10-01
THE POPULAR TASTE.
Why 1t Should Be Studied by All Progress
sIye Dairymen.

why 1t SnOuI0 BE STUDIED by All frORrC8-
sIye Dairymen.
There is one point that needs to be
ground into the understandings of the
makers of dairy goods, and thatis,
they must, in order to succeed. study
and consult not their own, but the
tastes of their customers The COM
mission merchant is the one that stands
next to the consumer in a practical
sense, though of course the retail mer-
chant is directly in contact with him;
but every complaint and commentator
reaches the commission merchant inn
mediately after the retailer hears of it.
Let any commission merchant travel
through the dairy districts and talk
with the men and women who make
the goods he sells, and inquire of them
what they think constitutes the best
quality in the goods they make, such
merchants will be amazed at the crude
ideas those dairymen have on the sub
jeet Each one of them will, of course,
declare that he makes the most per-
feet butter or cheese that can be
produced from cows milk. This is
to be expected, but to be more .spe-
cific with them, and inquire as to
their views on grain. sailing, keeping,
qualitity, color and the dozen other
points that enter into the composition
of fine article, and while all will
differ in opinion, few indeed will be
found to have any thing but % series Of
crude notions of what their aims should
be. Instead of seeking information
from the fountain head on these points
the rule is common to look in the OPP
posite direction, and study the opinions
Of their ancestors. The point with
them, as rule, is to go back and follow
the antiquated methods of bygone years,
instead of looking forward and study
ing the demands of an active and
critical present and future market.
The cheese and butter you make is
not to be consumed and paid for by
those who may be now sleeping in
their quiet graves, but by the living
and breathing people who know what
what they want and are bound to have
it at any cost. The means of reaching
this absolutely necessary information
| is through the commission merchant,
or better still, if you be so fortunately
situated, through your own immediate
customers. Ask them what they think
| of your goods, and ask it in such way
that they can give you frank and
candid answer To be sure, the price
you receive is hint enough for a
wise man, but that only means a very
general answer and is not often very
tlattering. What you do want is in
formation of a specific nature, point by
point, and to the point. Is it over
worked, over-salted, over-watered,
badly packed, badly colored, too old,
too soft, or too every thing that it ought
not to beP These inquiries pertain tc
butter, but with slight variation they
will equally apply to the character Of
cheese. If only the cheese-maker could
stand by, unknown to either party, and
hear the buyer and seller talk together
about his goods, how his ear woulc
| lluglc. ut, luuCh VI tiliS buih 10 illtIt
bluff on both sides, but at the same time
he would learn just where his goods
failed to meet the requirements of thu
market, and thus he would receive 8
valuable lesson on the necessity fol
cultivating knowledge Of the tastes o
his customers.
| There are two methods by which thu
dairyman can keep abreast of the time
in securing this valuable information
One is by letter, writing often TO tn,
commission merchant TO know jus
wherein his goods are short of quality
and dealing only with the merchant tina
| is willing to take the trouble to give sat
isfactory answers. The other is to g
and see for yourself Once. or twice
year follow your goods to market AM
inspect them side to side with othe
goods that outsell them. This is tn
best possible object lesson and mus
impart to the dullest mind some in
formation that will far more than pa
the cost of the trip.-American Dairy
| .,,u,,